Thursday:• At 8:30 AM ET, The initial weekly unemployment claims report will be released. The consensus is for 217 thousand initial claims, up from 207 thousand the previous week. • At 8:30 AM, Durable Goods Orders for June from the Census Bureau. The consensus is for a 3.2% increase in durable goods orders. •...Read more »

Earlier I posted a preview for the September employment report. I noted that over the last four years, September payrolls have been revised up by an average of 55,000 – so it appears the BLS underestimates employment in September. But that is nothing compared to the ’90s. As an example, in September 1995 the...Read more »

Wednesday will be busy! First, from the National Restaurant Association: Restaurant Performance Index Registers August Gain Driven by stronger same-store sales and customer traffic levels and a more optimistic outlook among restaurant operators, the National Restaurant Association’s Restaurant Performance Index (RPI) posted a solid gain in August. The RPI – a monthly composite index...Read more »